In a conventional refrigerant cycle, a compressor compresses a refrigerant and delivers the compressed refrigerant to a downstream condenser. From the condenser, the refrigerant passes through an expansion device, and subsequently, to an evaporator. The refrigerant from the evaporator is returned to the compressor. In a split system heating and/or cooling system, the condenser may be known as an outdoor heat exchanger and the evaporator as an indoor heat exchanger, when the system operates in a cooling mode. In a heating mode, their functions are reversed.
In the split system, the evaporator may be part of a fan coil assembly. A typical fan coil assembly includes an evaporator coil (e.g., a coil shaped like a “V”, which is referred to as an “V-coil”) and a condensate drain pan disposed within a casing. A V-coil may be referred to as a “multi-poise” coil because it may be oriented either horizontally or vertically in the casing of the fan coil assembly.
During a cooling mode operation, a blower circulates air through the casing of the fan coil assembly, where the air cools as it passes over the evaporator coil. The blower then circulates the air to a space to be cooled.
Typically, a refrigerant is enclosed in piping that is used to form the evaporator coil. If the temperature of the evaporator coil surface is lower than the dew point of air passing over it, the evaporator coil removes moisture from the air. Specifically, as air passes over the evaporator coil, water vapor condenses on the evaporator coil. The condensate drain pan of the evaporator assembly collects the condensed water as it drips off of the evaporator coil. The collected condensation then typically drains out of the condensate drain pan through at least one of two drain holes in the condensate drain pan. In some instances, when the refrigerant circulates through the evaporator coil, the cold temperature from the coil transfers to the casing of the fan coil assembly; thus, lowering the temperature. As the air surrounding the fan coil assembly is warmer than the casing, condensation may form on the casing. This may be undesirable for a homeowner as water forms in the area surrounding the fan coil assembly. There is, therefore, a need to for a device to reduce the likelihood of condensate forming on the casing of a fan coil assembly.